The IT company Lemax organized the ICT Supergirls for the fourth consecutive year, a gathering aimed at empowering and encouraging girls and women to recognize the numerous opportunities in the ICT industry.
As part of the global initiative Girls in ICT Day, ICT Supergirls 2018 took place on April 25 at the Technology Park in Zagreb, with over 150 participants, including high school girls, students, and businesswomen.
“We wanted to prove to women that the ICT sector is equally reserved for men and women and that everyone can be successful in this field, regardless of their education. We also wanted to send a message of encouragement to all women that success is possible if you believe in yourself. That is why it is important to surround yourself with positive role models – other successful women from whom we can learn a lot and who will cheer us on along the way,” said Nataša Kapov Kostovski, the initiator and co-organizer of this initiative.
You can do IT is also the name of the mentoring program launched by successful women from Lemax to help other women better understand the opportunities and challenges of the business world, especially in careers within the IT industry, and to gain necessary information and broaden their horizons. Women of all ages can participate, so it is no surprise that the event participants showed great interest in applying.
In the first part, four successful women from the IT company Lemax shared their stories: Danijela Poštić, Ana Vuković, Gorana Lambaša, who changed their professions and found themselves in the IT industry, and Gordana Seničić Hanžek, who demonstrated to the participants that IT is more than programming, as she works in consulting despite having graduated from FER.
“This event was a hit! I heard many inspiring stories from successful women that will certainly help me in the future,” said one of the participants.
In the second part of the presentation, four successful entrepreneurs and motivational speakers shared their experiences, reflecting on the ups and downs of their career paths, conveying to the participants that everything is possible with self-belief and hard work.
Kata Barišić, director of the web shop PokloniMe and founder of the Zagreb Time Travel application, revealed some of the secrets of her business success: “Money is not a good motivation; it is important that you love what you do.”
The presentation was also held by Ivana Matić, founder and CEO of Women in Adria, an online portal that has successfully gathered women in business for six years. Matić reflected on the balance between work and private life, stating: “The word balance should be eliminated. Because if you do what you love, there is no balance. But there are no limits either.”
Đurđica Orepić, a private entrepreneur who started training in her fifties and has completed the toughest race in the world, the Ironman triathlon of 226 km, shared her inspiring story about pushing personal boundaries. Her message is that one just needs to be persistent in life and not take things too seriously.
Maja Blumenšajn, head of the Digital Marketing department at Nova TV, also held a presentation. “For a long time, I lived under the belief that courage is the absence of fear. However, that is not the case. Fear is actually a sign of respect for people and for the process you are exposing yourself to,” Blumenšajn stated.
At the end, the audience was entertained by Croatian stand-up comedians Marina Orsag and Goran Vinčić from the Studio Smijeha, and the entire event was accompanied by numerous sponsor prizes and socializing.
